Artificial ski chute



July 3, 1951 R. H. JOHNSON ARTIFICIAL SKI CHUTE Filed Jan. 9, 1946 Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. (Cl. 27.2-56.5)

This invention relates to improvements in artificial ski chutes such as are used for the practice of skiing, either indoors or out in the open and it has for its objectto improve the construction of the tracks or slideways thereof.

To this end I have provided a chute for use in the practice of skiing that is provided with an inclined track or slideway whose top is strewn with granules of rigid waterproof material which provide the same with a slippery or lubricous top surface. Any suitable ri id waterproof granular material may be employed but I prefer a synthetic thermoplastic such as polymerized methyl methacrylate commercially known as Lucite with which I preferably mix about fifteen percent of powdered hard wax. Also, I may substitute rice for the Lucite or the like and sometimes I have employed a mixture of rice and synthetic thermoplastic granules.

Other features of my invention ar hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chute for use in the practice of skiing constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, full size, of a portion of the slideway of the chute shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the track or slideway of the chute shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a ski chute measuring about ninety by twenty-four feet as viewed in plan, said chute having an elevated inclined track or slideway l9 comprising a solid floor or substructure H of wood covered throughout its extent by a half-inch layer of felt l2, or other suitable resilient material such for example as sponge rubber, and a layer of heavy canvas l3 covering the felt layer throughout its extent on top of which is strewn a mixture M of loose rigid granules of a synthetic thermoplastic material such as polymerized methyl methacrylate, commercially known as Lucite and powdered wax.

The Lucite, which may be procured in various colors, is prepared for use by grinding the same to about the consistency of coarse sand while the hard wax is reduced to a powder by grinding. Thus prepared these two ingredients are mixed and scattered over the canvas [3 as shown in Fig. 3 and occasionally during or after use of the chute the displaced mixture may be manually swept back into position so as to be more or less evenly distributed.

The top surface of the woven canvas I3 is more or less pitted owing to the weave of its fibrous strands so that it tends to hold the granules and wax against excessive displacement as a ski slides over the same, while the felt layer [2 provides a resilient support for the canvas which serves to cushion a fall on the track or slideway.

The floor ll may consist of transverse planks nailed in position upon longitudinal stringers 15 forming part of the framework of the structure. The felt layer is nailed to floor I I while the canvas layer I3 is made up of longitudinally disposed webs or runners disposed side by side with their upper ends only nailed as at IE, or cemented, in position upon the felt layer in order to avoid the formation of wrinkles. These canvas runners are of lengths to extend from the top to the bottom of the slideway.

The powdered wax serves as a lubricant for the ski and serves to supplement the inherent slipperiness of the Lucite granules. Continued use of the slideway may discolor and soil the granules in which case the mixture may be removed, washed and returned to the canvas.

What I claim is:

l. A ski chute comprising an inclined slideway having strewn upon its top surface loose granules of rigid material of such substantial size and powdered wax.

2. A ski chute comprising an inclined slideway including a solid substructure or floor; a fiat layer of resilient material secured in position upon said substructure or floor; a layer of canvas fixed in position upon the top of said resilient material, and a mixture of loose granules of rigid material of substantial size and wax strewn upon the top surface of said canvas layer throughout the eX- tent thereof.

3. A ski chute comprising an inclined slideway constructed with a rigid substructure or floor; a flat layer of resilient material fixed in position upon said substructure or floor a layer of canvas fixed in position upon the top of said resilient layer and a mixture of loose sand-like granules of rigid material of substantial size and powdered wax strewn upon said canvas layer throughout the extent thereof.

ROBERT H. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 910,569 Peco Jan. 26, 1909 1,389,391 Steidle Aug. 30, 1921 2,136,450 Marks Nov. 15, 1938 2,174,716 Bethell Oct. 3, 1939 2,254,482 Heller Sept. 2, 1941 2,265,242 Marks Dec. 9, 1941 2,272,847 Macht Feb. 10, 1942 2,358,963 Davies Sept. 26, 1944 

